Jr. B Lions lose two more

The Morrisburg Junior B Lions finished out the year this past weekend with another two losses, the first to the Alexandria Glens, 7-5, and the second to the Akwesasne Wolves, 7-2. Both games were on the road.

Their Saturday night game, scheduled for Morrisburg, was cancelled due to the sudden death of Winchester Hawks coach, Tom Kirkwood, on December 16.

The Hawks cancelled all of their scheduled matches, which included the game in Morrisburg, out of respect and to mourn the loss of their coach. They will return to the ice this coming weekend.

Friday night, December 27, the Lions travelled to the Glengarry Sports Palace in Alexandria where they were handed a 7-5 loss by the Glens.

As in many of their past encounters, the Lions stayed with the Glens and gave them a good run, but couldn’t hold on. After trailing 2-1 at the end of the first period, they collected two consecutive goals in the early minutes of the second period to go up, 3-2.

But they couldn’t hold on. The Glens charged back with four in a row against goaltender John Gilmer, the fourth counter giving them a 6-3 advantage at 3:51 of the third period.

The Lions got one back from Chris Pearson at 10:59, and then at 18:59 a Christian Leger goal cut the gap to 6-5.

An empty net, Glens goal at 19:21 gave the Glens the 7-5 win.

Justin Rutley, Curtis Evans and Liam Morrow scored the Lions first three goals.

Sunday, the Lions managed just one goal against the Akwesasne Wolves at the Anowarako:wa Arena.

That came at 11:50 of the second period from the stick of Zach Belaire.

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The North Dundas Rockets will be the new kids on the ice when the hockey season resumes this fall.

Coached by Dale Murdoch of Morewood, the new Junior C franchise will be a member of the eight team National Capital Junior Hockey League.

Junior C hockey is not a stranger to the Chesterville area, says Murdoch. “In the early 80s there was a team in Chesterville,” he explained.

“It’s a couple of those players who are involved in the current startup.”

Murdoch says that he and the owners have recognized a need for Junior C hockey in this area.

“We have several Junior B teams surrounding us, but more and more they are using non-local players because of the competitiveness of the Junior B league. There is a need here for local minor hockey players to be able to progress into competitive hockey beyond minor hockey.”

“Many kids end up not playing hockey at all after minor hockey. There isn’t even any juvenile hockey anymore.”

In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Murdoch is the Rockets’ General Manager.

His first steps have been to line up his coaching staff and joining him behind the bench is Brian Downey of Morewood and Nick Pass of Winchester. Both played Junior A hockey after starting out locally at the Junior B level. Downey also experienced university hockey in the United States and played at the pro level in the former Colonial Hockey League.

The Rockets will play their home games on Sundays in Chesterville. They will play a 32 game schedule against teams from Vankleek Hill, St. Isidore, Cumberland, Embrun, Papineauville, Gatineau and Rockland.

“Our intention is to bus to games on the Quebec side of the league,” says Murdoch of the fairly hefty road trips.

The first home game for the Rockets is scheduled for October 2. As ice will not be ready in Chesterville for a number of weeks, the Rockets training camp will open at the Winchester Arena at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 10. A second session has been set for Sunday, September 11 at 8 p.m.

Murdoch explains that the National Capital Junior Hockey League teams are able to protect only those players in their own minor hockey system.

Murdoch also explains, that while each team does have one 16 year old card, teams in the league do not use 16 year olds. “We are looking for 17 years olds and above. We are really looking for kids who have graduated from minor hockey. We really aren’t interested in taking players (17 year old midgets) from the local minor hockey systems.”

While walk-ons are welcome to the upcoming Rockets camp in Winchester, Murdoch says, as a time saving measure, he would like everyone to pre-register.

For more information or to register, he can be reached at 613-913-8266 or e-mail dalemurdoch@yahoo.ca.

–With the help of nationally and internationally acclaimed curler Lynn Kreviazuk, the Morrisburg Curling Club delivered its game to potential young curlers at Morrisburg Public and St. Mary-St. Cecilia schools on Monday. And it was a lot of fun.

Kreviazuk, 23, along with her older sister Allison and younger sister Cheryl, began curling in Ottawa in the Little Rocks program. From that start, she became a member of teams skipped by Rachel Homan, Clancy Grady and Allison Flaxey and has, under her broom, a Canada Winter Games championship, and various national championships at the Junior and Bantam curling levels.

Most recently, in February of this year, she was a member of Team Canada skipped by Breanne Menkin, who won the Universiade Silver Medal in Spain.

Monday, Kreviazuk delivered The Curling Canada Rocks and Rings program to three grades at each of Morrisburg P.S and SMSC. The program introduces curling to elementary school children by taking the curling rink to the gym in the form of FloorCurl kits which include rocks (on wheels) and target mats.

Kreviazuk, who graduated from Carleton University in December with a political science degree, has been delivering the program “as part time work throughout university.”

Having started curling at the age of six years, she recommends that children start curling at a young age in the Little Rocks program.

The Rocks and Rings program, “helps to familiarize kids with the sport,” she explains. “A lot of kids might not have any other opportunity to try it. Curling is a great sport and anybody can play…tall, short, male, female. The cost is fairly inexpensive when compared to other sports, and there is very little equipment required. Everyone and anyone can play.”

Kreviazuk was accompanied to the schools on Monday, by Morrisburg Curling Club president Ruth Kelly and club member Jack Barkley.

The Morrisburg Curling Club has been proactive in recruiting members this season, and Kelly looks forward to growing the membership in the younger age category next year.

“This year we had just Little Rocks, and next year we will have Bantam Curling,” says Kelly who is a Level Three Curling Coach and has coached at International curling levels. “Ian and Kathy Wilson have been running our Little Rocks program, and they have been very successful with it. The kids have stayed with it, and some will be graduating to bantam next year.”

Kelly too promotes the game as “an excellent sport for children. It’s full of etiquette and teaches social skills. It’s played in a safe environment and provides an overall good learning experience. Even at the young level, the curlers sit down with their opponents after a game.”

Following the presentations at the schools, Kreviazuk dropped by the Morrisburg Curling Club to meet and discuss coaching strategies with a number of club members who have volunteered to assist in the Curling Canada Getting Started for Adults program which the club will launch on Monday nights next season.

This has been prompted by Kelly who ran a casual Monday evening program for non-curlers, this past year.

“It was a casual drop in and the same group came back each week,” says Kelly. “We learned something new each week. We did one half hour of instruction and then went right into a game. Our first game took two hours to play two ends, but we continued on and it got better. Then at Christmas they all joined leagues in the club. We got 20 new members out of it.”

Kreviazuk met with would-be volunteer instructors for next season’s Getting Started for Adults program. She discussed the program and offered up various tips for coaching with emphasis and tips on how to help new curlers with balance, setup and throwing momentum.

Kelly stresses that curling clubs today, to be successful, must be proactive in attracting people to curling, and Monday’s presentations by the very talented Kreviazuk were a sweep in the right direction.

To be in the top 15 in any event at the OFSAA championship “is spectacular” says Seaway District high School Track and Field Coach, Mark Lewis.

And Seaway had two, doing just that in three events at the provincial championship in Toronto last week.

David Swerdfeger and Sid Sideratos, did an “awesome” job said Lewis who co-coaches the high school’s track and field team with Lindsay Waddell.

Swerdfeger put his best performance together in the midget boys 300m hurdles to place eighth in the Province of Ontario, and added a 12th place finish in triple jump.

Sideratos registered a 13th place finish in midget shot put.

“David was 12th in triple jump, and was second overall of the athletes representing our East Region,” said Lewis. “His jump wasn’t the best of the year (11.96m), but it is pretty intimidating to jump in front of that many people in a large stadium like Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto. I was pleased that he kept it together.”

“The next morning, he ran a personal best in the 300m hurdles, and qualified in his heat for the final. That is awesome in itself.”

“David finished eighth in the 300m hurdles and was disappointed in his place and time. But to be in the top eight in Ontario is a great honour. Lindsay and I are very proud of him.”

Sid came 13th in shot put which is also great. He didn’t have his best throw, but finished in the same spot that he finished at Eastern Region.”

“The fact of the matter is, this is the largest high school track and field meet in North America, and to even make it there is quite an accomplishment. To be in the top 15 in any event is spectacular.”

In the midget triple jump, Swerdfeger’s results show jumps of 11.64, 11.77 and 11.96m, the 11.96m jump putting him 12th in Ontario. The win in the event went in 13.74m.

He qualified in the 300m hurdles with a time of 42.76 seconds, and ran the final in 43.44 to finish eighth in Ontario.

The race was won in a record setting 39.99 seconds (40.01 seconds the previous record).

Sideratos registered shot put throws of 12.14m, 11.67m and 11.40m with the 12.14 placing him 13th in Ontario.

The event was won with a 15.20m throw, well back of the record 16.95m.

Lewis says he looks forward to working with and coaching all the kids next year, “as I think we can have even more success with the athletes we have.”

Swerdfeger and Sideratos were two of eight Seaway athletes who qualified to compete in 13 events at the Eastern Region meet in Brockville, May 28-29. This year’s Seaway track and field team consisted mainly of young athletes at the midget and junior levels.